Few hours had passed since the Hawk of the Cygnus squad left the territory of the Fracture Compound. James and Manuel were periodically smoking cigarettes while Alexa gazed out the window, watching the fields and railway tracks rush by below them. Samantha was still engrossed in calculations and formulas. John turned on the Pulse and thought about writing a message to Ioanna. She didn't know what was happening in the compound and had no idea that the project was in jeopardy.
John was aware of the dangers that awaited him and understood that there was a high probability that his journey would end before it even began. In case he couldn't return, John wanted to write a final letter to his sister. He spent over twenty minutes searching for the right words. And when the letter was finished, he touched the send symbol. Suddenly, a notification about the absence of a network appeared across the screen.
"We've crossed the border into the Third District," Amanda shouted from the pilot's seat. "Descending."
The Hawk began to descend slowly toward the ground. John looked out the porthole and saw the scorched earth beneath the Hawk. The sky turned a bloody color, growing denser by the minute. The wind lifted dust from the ground, dust that once was people destined to burn in the energy of the collapse. Finally, John understood the phrase he had been told many times when it came to the Third District: there is neither life nor death here. And he saw it. The Third District was emptiness.
At that moment, a signal sounded, deafening the passengers.
"And here's the first Convergence," Amanda grasped the control stick, and the Hawk tilted to the right. "What's with the radar?"
"Many targets ahead," Ivan replied, confidently moving his finger across the screen. "They're too dense; we can't pass through."
"Damn!" Amanda shouted. She constantly changed course, tilting the Hawk from side to side. "I'm descending."
When Amanda first took the Hawk, she reinforced the hull to protect against the Convergence Points. But even with the reinforcement, the Hawk could only pass through one Point. Beyond that, the damage would destroy it. There were too many Points in the sky, and the only way out was to descend to the ground. Just few meters above the ground. The concentration of Points on the ground was much lower.
The Hawk plunged down, approaching the ground. Suddenly, a strong jolt caused John to fall from his seat. Manuel grabbed the Wanderer's hand, returning him to his place.
"We've lost the main engine; brace for impact!" Amanda was trying to stabilize the course. Just then, one of the Convergence Points grazed the Hawk. The energy field and reinforced hull protected the crew but couldn't save the main engine. It ignited in the rear of the Hawk. Amanda attempted to use the maneuvering engines to slow down, but her efforts were in vain. The Hawk was racing toward the ground.
The commander of the Cygnus squad ordered Ivan to bypass the safety protocols and channel all energy to the maneuvering engines. They would be destroyed, but the speed would decrease. When Ivan touched the screen with his finger, the engines on the Hawk's wings changed position and increased thrust to the maximum. The Wanderers pressed back into their seats. They were pushed inward, but fortunately, it lasted only a few seconds. A few meters above the ground, the Hawk hovered in the air. Due to overloads in the maneuvering systems, fire engulfed them too.
"Put it out!" Amanda shouted. Ivan followed the command: the engines sprayed a liquid that instantly covered all the wings with ice. The Hawk fell to the ground. The hull bent.
"We landed!" Amanda breathed heavily, turning around to look at the Wanderers pressed into their seats. Fear was evident in their eyes.
"And they will go to other worlds?" — the thought flashed through Amanda's mind. She believed that if they couldn't survive a trivial emergency landing, how would they survive in worlds where danger was exponentially greater? But still, she understood that only a desperate or insane person would dare to venture into the Third District. Many people ended up in the impact zone, and only a small group returned unscathed. The chance of dying in this scorched desert was high, while the chance of survival was negligible.
"Evacuate the Hawk!" Amanda commanded.
Manuel leaned against the door, but it wouldn't budge. The hull was damaged, and the man shifted his entire weight; finally, the door moved. He strained his arms, and the door creaked loudly as it slid aside, but not fully. Through the opening, the Wanderers stepped outside.
Following them, Manuel stepped onto the barren ground, followed by Amanda and Ivan. After taking a few steps away from the crashed Hawk, John turned around. The metallic bird was dead. A faint steam rose from the engines. The ice that had stopped the fire and further explosions began to melt. Drops of water fell onto the cracked earth. No one knew how long water had been absent in the Third District.
The sun broke through the red clouds hanging over the travelers. John looked down at the dust beneath his feet... For a moment, he pondered what that dust had been before the collapse: buildings? People? Trees? Or was it just the dust of time that had broken here? He didn't want to know the answer.
"So," Amanda addressed the Wanderers and members of her squad, "as you can see, the Hawk won't take off again... Therefore, we need to find a new means of transportation. Otherwise, we're stuck here."
"There's nothing here," James said, throwing up his hands, "only the dust beneath our feet and this strange sky above us."
"The sky is red because of the collapse," the commander replied, "and the dust beneath our feet too..." John finally recognized the answer.
"The plan is as follows: James and Samantha will head west, John and Alexa to the northwest, Manuel and Ivan to the southwest. Keep..." Amanda opened the bag at her feet and pulled out two transmitters. "They work here, but the range is from two to four kilometers."
"No," Ivan protested, "you can't stay here alone."
"I need to inspect the systems and, if possible, fix them. If not, then gather weapons and equipment," Amanda stepped closer to Ivan and looked him in the eye. "Because if we don't find a way to get to the Cradle, we need protection, radars, everything we have."
"There are Convergence Points everywhere..." Manuel supported Ivan.
"I have a radar in the Hawk. It will show if new anomalies appear."
Ivan looked at her, breathing heavily. The rule that Amanda had created herself stated that under no circumstances should they split up. Sergey had disregarded this rule and paid for it with his life. Moreover, if everyone had a partner in case of emergencies, then Amanda would be left alone. In this place, if you're alone, you're already a dead man.
"Don't argue," Amanda said in a commanding tone. "It will be completely dark in four hours, so don't stand still."
"And what are we looking for?" Samantha asked. "Another Hawk? Ether?"
"Anything we can use to get out of here," Amanda replied. "A brief excursion. Listen carefully, as this affects the mission's goal and your lives. Don't stray more than five meters from each other. Always keep a detector for Points in hand and a flashlight on your chest. Given that you Wanderers have suits, activate the personal shields. Don't use the transmitters unnecessarily. Marauders have previously ventured deep into the Third District in search of surviving belongings, so we might encounter them. And of course..." Amanda sighed, went inside the fallen Hawk, and returned with a bag. Opening it, she took out several rifles for each Wanderer.
"Are you out of your mind?" Manuel exclaimed. "You're giving them that?"
"Exactly. To them and to you," Amanda replied, handing each Wanderer a rifle. "The charge will be enough for five hundred shots. I hope you don't use them all. This is for emergencies."
"And you?" Alexa asked.
"I have my own means of protection," Amanda replied. "Don't waste time. Get moving and return as soon as possible while I start repairing the Hawk. The main engine is damaged, but the maneuvering engines may still work."
The Wanderers and the Cygnus squad scattered in different directions. Amanda returned inside the Hawk and got to work. The most important detector, which would help find the energy disk, was intact. But the anomaly radar in the Hawk had burned out due to overload. The consequences of her lie could be unpredictable. She was left alone and without protection.